Follow the Fool (Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney Fanfic)

Chapter 8

"Absolutely not," the young prodigy shook her head. "I refuse to take part in such a foolish, extravagant waste of time." Franziska crossed her arms in front of her chest, clearly riled up by the appearance of the extremely extroverted defense attorney. "They're dull wastes of one's night."

Adrian arched a blonde eyebrow, peering over her glasses at the German woman. "Really? So you had something planned for us tomorrow night, then?" Franziska didn't answer, though her frown deepened. "...I didn't think so," said the blonde woman with a teasing smile. "Besides, have you ever been to one of them? It might... it might be fun," she said with a shrug.

A brief flicker of thoughtfulness passed over Franziska's features, but it was quickly concealed by the irritated scowl she'd worn ever since Gunther Hertz had interrupted a rather... personal moment that neither of them seemed in a particular hurry to return to, whether out of embarrassment or anxiety or whatever the case. "It will be full of people like him," she said that last word like a particularly vulgar obscenity, "who go simply to drink and behave like Neanderthalic fools. That is not what I call fun, Adrian."

The other woman shrugged again, that half-sheepish-half-hopeful smile still on her face. "It's not a crime to relax once in a while, Franziska." That smile shifted slightly, becoming an affectionately teasing lopsided smirk. "You can't dance, can you?"

Franziska scowled indignantly, her blue-gray hair flopping from side to side as she shook her head yet again. "Of course I can dance. I can dance absolutely perfectly. I just..." she paused, searching for the right words, "...choose not to. It is undignified, ungainly, and makes one look like an utter fool."

Adrian sighed to herself briefly, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose with one slender finger. "Franziska..." there was a subdued if intense warmth in the tone of her voice that brought a faint blush back to the young prosecutor's cheeks in recollection of the conversation not ten minutes prior. "Sometimes... if someone cares for another person, they might..." she paused briefly before continuing, "...do something that the other person really wanted to do, even if they didn't."

"Hmph." Franziska's eyes narrowed in annoyance, though it was not directed specifically at the other woman. "You... care for me, right?" The blush was unmistakable, contrasting the sharp tone of her voice rather remarkably. Upon Adrian's silent affirmative nod, Franziska continued, "then, even though you may want to attend this frivolous event, you should respect my wish to stay as far from it as possible," she shrugged.

"That—that's not what I meant, and you know it," Adrian frowned slightly, looking down at the floor.

Arching a blue-gray eyebrow, Franziska asked, "oh, is that so? I see. As long as we're doing what you want to do, everything is fine. But the moment I apply the same logic against your choice, it isn't how you meant it. In what far-off universe is that fair, Adrian?"

Though she initially started a wordless protest, Adrian cut it off quickly, sinking back and shrinking into herself, continuing to hold her staring contest with the carpeted floor of the washroom lobby. "No... you're right, Franziska. That isn't fair. If you don't want to go, we don't have to go." The blonde woman looked up, giving a wistful little smile. "I just thought it would be... fun. The two of us could have a good time together, and we don't have anything else planned, right? But, if you don't want to, then I'm sure we can think of something else." She smiled again, a bit warmer than the last.

Franziska was silent for a few long heartbeats, the scowl on her face fading into a thoughtful, pensive expression. At long last, she said, slightly hesitantly, "...you really wanted to go, didn't you?"

The other woman laughed half-heartedly. "No, it's okay, really. It might have been fun, just the two of us—but it was just a silly thought. Don't worry about it..." Adrian paused as if realizing something, and then sighed heavily. "Besides, it's not like I could actually go."